The Jewish Preacher

Some of the sermons that stirred the nation:The Ethics of Marrage, Half an Hour With Genesis, He Who Knows Most Doubts Most, New Ethics For New Economics, The Science Of Comparative Religion, Will Rich Men Go To Heaven

The Novanian king has gathered an army in the north with the intent to make war upon the magi. He has exiled all three of his brothers. Andrew and Alexander fled to the Southlands, while Thomas escaped into the hostile northern highlands, the land of Novania’s ancient foe, the insectile Corodan. While Alexander prepares to face Colin’s army in the south, Andrew makes the perilous journey through Novania to seek Thomas’ whereabouts and offer what aid he can. Traveling at his side is Rynn, a powerful mage with the ability to manipulate and form ice. When they fail to locate Thomas after days of searching, Andrew is forced to seek the aid of the Corodan. He has a long and bloody history with their people, and was responsible for the death of their previous Hive-queen. Uncertain if the Corodan will cooperate, but faced with no other hope of locating his brother, he ventures into the heart of the Corodan lands. Without Thomas, the brothers have no hope of overthrowing Colin and his tyranny. Without Thomas, Novania will continue to execute innocent citizens simply for bearing the Mark of the Magi. Without Thomas, the kingdom will be lost.

Some of the sermons that stirred the nation: The Ethics of Marrage, Half an Hour With Genesis, He Who Knows Most Doubts Most, New Ethics For New Economics, The Science Of Comparative Religion, Will Rich Men Go To Heaven Upon Rabbi Hirsch's death, The President of The United States wired his widow "I have been much distressed to hear of the death of your distinguished husband, I wish to express my sincerest condolences to you together with my deep sense of the country's great loss. Warren G. Harding"

This book explores the complexity of preaching as a phenomenon in the medieval Jewish-Christian encounter. This was not only an "encounter" as physical meeting or confrontation (such as the forced attendance of Jews at Christian sermons that took place across Europe), but also an "imaginary" or theological encounter in which Jews remained a figure from a distant constructed time and place who served only to underline and verify Christian teachings. Contributors also explore the Jewish response to Christian anti-Jewish preaching in their own preaching and religious instruction.

A collection of essays prepared for a symposium entitled New Horizons of Old Dilemmas?: Judaism in Christian Theology and Preaching.

Wartime sermons offer a window on to how Jews perceive themselves in relation to the majority society and how Jewish and national values are reconciled when the fate of a nation is at stake. They also reveal a great deal about how rabbis guide their communities through the challenges of their times. The sermons reproduced here were delivered by rabbis from across the Jewish spectrum, and each is accompanied by a comprehensive introduction and detailed notes.

Many scholars have focused on contemporary sources pertaining to the Nazi persecution and mass murder of Jews between 1933 and 1945--citing dated documents, newspapers, diaries, and letters--but the sermons delivered by rabbis describing and protesting against the ever-growing oppression of European Jews have been largely neglected. Agony in the Pulpit is a response to this neglect, and to the accusations made by respected figures that Jewish leaders remained silent in the wake of catastrophe. The passages from sermons reproduced in this volume--delivered by 135 rabbis in fifteen countries, mainly from the United States and England--provide important evidence of how these rabbis communicated the ever-worsening news to their congregants, especially on important religious occasions when they had peak attendance and peak receptivity. A central theme is how the preachers related the contemporary horrors to ancient examples of persecution. Did they present what was occurring under Hitler as a reenactment of the murderous oppressions by Pharaoh, Amalek, Haman, Ahasuerus, the Crusaders, the Spanish Inquisition, the Russian Pogroms? When did they begin to recognize and articulate from their pulpits an awareness that current events were fundamentally unprecedented? Was the developing cataclysm consistent with traditional beliefs about God's control of what happened on earth? No other book-length study has presented such abundant evidence of rabbis in all streams of Jewish religious life seeking to rouse and inspire their congregants to full awareness of the catastrophic realities that were taking shape in the world beyond their synagogues.

This anthology of largely unknown medieval and early modern Jewish sermons provides an introduction to a neglected area of Jewish creativity, one that gives insights into the central intellectual issues, spiritual movements, and communal centers during six critical centuries of Jewish experience. The sermons, presented here in their entirety, have been translated, annotated, and introduced by Marc Saperstein, who also provides a discussion of the historical background of the sermons, their context, and their relationship to Hebrew literature. "A scholarly masterpiece and an intellectual tour de force that must be read by anybody with a serious interest in Jewish studies or the art of preaching."--Howard Adelman, Shofar "This splendid and interesting collection, a description true of all the Yale Judaica, is richly documented."--Thomas L. Shaffer, Christian Legal Society Quarterly "A work of profound scholarship, it is also a pleasure to read."--Choice "Jewish Preaching offers the reader an exceptional overview of many different and fascinating aspects of Jewish history, culture and theology."--Yaakov Ort, Wellsprings "Marc Saperstein's careful and detailed translations and annotations, and his cogent introductory essay, are examples of scholarship at its highest level, and should serve to secure the place of this body of literature in the field of Jewish studies."--Present Tense/Joel H. Caviour Literary Award, 1990 "A goundbreaking work of exquisite scholarship that truly points the way for others to follow."--David E. Fass, American Rabbi Winner of the 1990 National Jewish Book Award in the cateogry of Jewish Thought given by the Jewish Book Council